Costumer Marit Allen dies at 66

Credits included 'La Vie en Rose,' 'Dead Man'

By VARIETY STAFF

Costume designer Marit Allen, who created wardrobe for films including "Brokeback Mountain," "Eyes Wide Shut" and "Mrs. Doubtfire" died of a brain aneurism on Nov. 26  in Sydney, Australia. She was 66.

At the time of her death, Allen was working with George Miller on  the Warner Bros' super-hero adventure, "Justice League of America."

Helmer Nicolas Roeg persuaded Allen to enter the film business from a career in fashion journalism, and she went on to work on Roeg films including "Don't Look Now," "Bad Timing," "Eureka" and "The Witches." She also worked frequently with Ang Lee, on films including "Ride with the Devil" and "Hulk."

Over a career that spanned 33 years, her feature credits included "La Vie en Rose," "Love in the Time of Cholera," Jim Jarmusch's "Dead Man," "Mermaids," "Dirty Rotten Scoundrels" and "Little Shop of Horrors."

Nominated for two Emmys, a BAFTA and a Costume Designer's Guild award, Allen was born in England and graduated from U. of Grenoble, France. She began her  career in 1961 working for Queen Magazine in the fashion department as a trainee and quickly rose to edit and write the young fashion pages. She moved to British Vogue in 1963, and spent 10 years there during the height of the swinging London scene. In 1973, she established the bachelor's degree course in Journalism at Central St. Martin's Art College.

She is survived by a son, two daughters, a sister and two grandchildren.